World News - Democrats And A Pivotal Republican Say They Will Continue To Oppose His Nomination

John Bolton's prospects for staying on as U.N. ambassador essentially died Thursday as Democrats and a pivotal Republican said they would continue to oppose his nomination. It was another blow to President Bush, two days after Democrats triumphed in elections that will give them control of Congress next year. On Wednesday, Bush had announced that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, a polarizing figure and face of the Iraq war, would step down. On Thursday, the White House resubmitted Bolton's nomination to the Senate, where the appointment has languished for more than a year. Bush appointed him to the job temporarily in August 2005 while Congress was in recess, an appointment that will expire when the Congress adjourns, no later than January. ... http://www.cbsnews.com

As of Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, at least 2,840 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,279 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The AP count is two more than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Thursday at 10 a.m. EST. The British military has reported 121 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, one death each. The latest deaths reported by the military: No new deaths reported. The latest identifications reported by the military: ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2642510

Bush made nice with Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi after Democrats gave Republicans a trouncing on Election Day, but not before handing House GOP leaders a long legislative wish list for the lame-duck session that they'll orchestrate. After a bitter campaign that sometimes got personal between the president and Mrs. Pelosi, the two had a makeup luncheon at the White House. Appearing publicly in the Oval Office after an hour of private discussions, the pair emphasized finding common ground and avoided talk of bedeviling specifics, such as their division over the Iraq war. They took no questions. Neither Mr. Bush nor Mrs. Pelosi, however, completely ignored that they often disagree. "When you win, you have a responsibility to do the best you can for the country," Mr. Bush said, with Vice President Dick Cheney sitting on a couch to his left. "We won't agree on every issue, but we do agree that we love America." "We both extended the hand of friendship and partnership ...http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061109-034315-4960r.htm

The chief scientist on Nasa's Mars rover mission is contemplating whether to send Opportunity into a large crater with no means of getting back out. The decision could commit the rover to spending its final days exploring Victoria Crater, a 60m-deep (200ft) depression on Mars' Meridiani plains. Steve Squyres said Opportunity would probably be sent in to explore the bowl even if no escape route was found. But he stressed his team would do its best to find an exit path first. Opportunity has explored other craters on Meridiani Planum; indeed, it even came to rest in one after descending to the Martian surface in January 2004; but Victoria Crater is a much more challenging proposition. "You've got to realise this is a big, big crater for a little rover like this. The biggest thing we ever explored with Opportunity was Endurance Crater, which was 150m in diameter...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6128594.stm

The Republican senator George Allen is expected to concede defeat in the Virginia Senate race today, giving the Democrats full control of Congress.Earlier, Mr Allen's office announced that he would make a statement at 3pm local time (2000 GMT). Democrats on Capitol Hill, anticipating that he will concede, have scheduled a victory rally.Mr Allen is trailing by around 8,000 votes out of 2.3m cast in what has been an extremely tight battle. He had initially said he would fight on, raising the prospect of recounts and legal battles...http://www.guardian.co.uk/midterms2006/story/0,,1943893,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

US midterm election results and the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld will force a change in the coalition's Iraq strategy, despite John Howard's protestation to the contrary, a foreign policy expert says.University of Melbourne Associate Professor David Tucker, an expert in US and Australian foreign policy, told theage.com.au the Democrats' landslide win in the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resignation, would be is enough to prompt US President George Bush to plan a withdrawal strategy."It will take probably a little while, I don't know how many months but we're going to see changes and it won't happen immediately that America just withdraws, but they will have a plan a strategy for withdrawal....http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/iraq-policy-wont-change-says-howard/2006/11/09/1162661807628.html